Shloka 9

Devanagari script

हृष्टपुष्टजनाकीर्णा नित्योत्सवसमाकुलाम्‌ | सो<पश्यद्‌ बहुवृत्तान्तां ब्राह्मण: समतिक्रमन्‌

Transliteration

hṛṣṭapuṣṭajanākīrṇā nityotsavasamākulām | so 'paśyad bahuvṛttāntāṃ brāhmaṇaḥ samatikraman

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: As that brāhmaṇa went on his way, he beheld a city thronged with cheerful, well-nourished folk, ever restless with unceasing festivities, and filled with many scenes and happenings—an outward prosperity that calls one to ponder the unseen causes of fortune and the duties of dharma that uphold it.

Word by Word

• हृष्ट: delighted, joyful
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हृष्ट
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• पुष्ट: well-nourished, prosperous
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुष्ट
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• जन: by/with people
• जन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• आकीर्णा: filled, crowded
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकीर्ण
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• नित्य: constant, perpetual
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• उत्सव: festival
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्सव
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• समाकुलाम्: thronged, bustling, full of
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समाकुल
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अपश्यत्: saw
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• बहु: many, much
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• वृत्तान्ताम्: account, occurrence, story
• वृत्तान्ताम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृत्तान्त
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• ब्राह्मणः: the Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• समतिक्रमन्: passing by, traversing
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अति + क्रम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Śatṛ (present active participle)

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• brāhmaṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how visible prosperity—joyful, well-fed citizens and continual celebration—often rests on underlying dharmic order (right conduct, good governance, and social duties). It prompts ethical reflection: flourishing society is not merely spectacle but typically the fruit of sustained responsibility.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya narrates that a brāhmaṇa, while moving onward, comes upon (or passes by) a place bustling with constant festivities and many events. The description sets the scene for what the brāhmaṇa will learn or encounter next.